Where to eat in LA

[FoodZealot]

[...]

Mori Sushi: http://www.morisushi.com/

Oops, this is the website of a place in NY. Here's the Citysearch profile of the place in question. It's very good. Tidbit - the owner makes all the pottery dishes used in the restaurant.

The shabu shabu place mentioned in another post is probably the one in the Little Tokyo shopping plaza. It's good, but if you only have three nights in town, I'd go somewhere else.

I do agree that Guelaguetza is worth a dinner. It's mostly from the Oaxaca region, so quite different from Mexican food that most people are familiar with.

Killer Shrimp in the Marina is pretty enjoyable and different for a lunch. Gulf Shrimp cooked in a spicy, Cajun-like broth, which you peel and eat with french bread for dunking. No view, though. Sweet potato pecan pie is a nice finish.

Chinois and Campanile are great choices.

I wish I speak knowledgeably about other places, but I haven't been doing much dining lately... Maybe others could comment on

Melisse

Mastro's

Saddle Peak Lodge

~Tad

[Beachfan]

See the recent post for my comments on Melisse (linking doesn't seem to be working).

As far as Saddle Peak; it's a lovely lodge type place but I wouldn't think of it as a place you would come to LA for, it's more a place you go to instead of getting out of LA. Elk is the main draw. If you really, really, want game, go. If not, then it's further down the list. I've been twice, once ok and once excellent.

[mixmaster b]

Jitlada's not bad but I think there's better Thai on Hollywood Blvd. in Ruen Pair, Kruang Tedd and Palms Thai.

I totally disagree with you, respectively that is. I am Thai, and Jitlada is known among Thais as one of the best kitchen in town. The owner is absolutely serious about food and keeping it as honest and authentic as possible. Perhaps you've just never tried anything on their Thai menu.

They excel at more complicate dishes that I wouldn't even think of ordering somewhere else. Not noodle soups and pad thai, which are really considered snacks or lunch food, but serious dinner dishes, like Namprik relishes and complex salads like crispy catfish (Yum Pla Dook Foo). The green curry and "dragon's eggs" is absolutely delicious, and not on the English menu. The dragon eggs are made of minced fish and salted egg yolks. Or try a Gang Som, a complex coconut-free curry with shrimps and vegetables, which is sour, spicy and delicious.

I still love Jitlada. The gigantic prawns in panang curry sauce are SO good, and their pad se ew (sorry about the awful spelling) is smoky and delicious. Pim, these may not be the most sophisticated dishes offered, but they are still terrific.

I need to go to the other spots mentioned to sample them--it really isn't fair to pick a favorite when I haven't been to all of them. But some of the food I've had at Jitlada has been so good, I never want to go anywhere else!

I did try Sanamluang one evening, but my significant other thought it was too divey ("If they is that much dirt on the floor in the dining room, I don't think I want to see the kitchen!), so we haven't been back. (I liked some of the food, but some was only okay, and no beer to wash it down with is no good.)

Sounds like we are going to have to organize a big E-Gullet Thai restaurant contest, with a dinner at each spot. We'll have to include the food fair at the Thai temple in North Hollywood. Has anyone else been there? It is amazing. The mango and sticky rice rivals desserts I've had in very posh places!

[SWoodyWhite]

[...]

Mori Sushi: http://www.morisushi.com/

Oops, this is the website of a place in NY. Here's the Citysearch profile of the place in question. It's very good. Tidbit - the owner makes all the pottery dishes used in the restaurant.

~Tad

OOPS! Good catch, Tad, and my bad. I was using DigitalCity to collect the links, and should have taken a bit more time to check what I was collecting.

[mogsob]

The smog should be so thick that time of year you can just lean out of your car and cut yourself a slice.

[pim]

I still love Jitlada.  The gigantic prawns in panang curry sauce are SO good, and their pad se ew (sorry about the awful spelling) is smoky and delicious.  Pim, these may not be the most sophisticated dishes offered, but they are still terrific.

Yes, I remember those, they are call Goong Shu-Shee (Shu-shee-Goong works too). they are delicious.

Sounds like we are going to have to organize a big E-Gullet Thai restaurant contest, with a dinner at each spot.  We'll have to include the food fair at the Thai temple in North Hollywood.  Has anyone else been there?  It is amazing.  The mango and sticky rice rivals desserts I've had in very posh places!

I won't be much fun for that, I'm afriad. Not only because I don't live in (or near) LA anymore, but I'm an insufferable snob when it comes to Thai food. :-)

Haven't been to the Thai temple in ages but I bet the food is pretty good, since it's mostly for Thai people. I'm not sure though, I went to Thai temple in Berkeley the other day and found the food pretty mediocre. The mango/sticky rice and Kanom-Krock were delicious, but the other food was so so. The padthai was just horrid!

Edited July 30, 2003 by pim (log)

[CityCook]

did somebody here already say Phillipe's?

if not, Phillipe's. get the lamb one.

[Wren]

SWoodyWhite, I enjoyed looking at the websites you linked. Geoffrey's wins the award for most interactive website. The link to Mori Sushi is a restaurant in NY, is the WLA Mori affiliated?

[mixmaster b]

SWoodyWhite, I enjoyed looking at the websites you linked.  Geoffrey's wins the award for most interactive website.  The link to Mori Sushi is a restaurant in NY, is the WLA Mori affiliated?

No, the Mori Sushi in LA is different. I go on about it at length here.

There is not a huge amount of info online about the restaurant or the chef, Morihiro Onodera. There's an article from the LA times here that mentions his practice of hulling his own rice daily.

Edit: I just realized I already went on about Mori earlier in this thread. How embarassing! Oh well, I guess I just think the place deserves a lot of attention.

Edited July 31, 2003 by mixmaster b (log)

[jgbanker]

Thanks for all the info! We are leaving for LA today. I will post comments when we return.

[tanabutler]

Well-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l?

Inquiring minds want to know. How'd it go?

[FoodZealot]

Disappointingly, it appears we have been used... or at least forgotten. I know I got some good tips out of it, so thank you, eGulleteers. !El Lay!

~Tad

[jgbanker]

Sorry this took so long but after a great 10 day trip it took me a month to get some free time.

Everyone who recommended Sona, THANKS! This was a memorable meal. We had the six course tasting menu with wine pairing and it was outstanding. The service, presentation and food were all great.

We ate at The Restaurant at the Getty Center and were a little disappointed. We were seated at a 4 top (we were 2) near the entrance. I requested to be moved to the empty table for 2 by the window and was told that it was reserved. (I made reservations a month in advance.) The table remained empty for most of our meal and then they seated a couple of walk ins at it. The food was good, but the view of the entrance was not. We ate crab cakes and seared tuna salad. Also, the table cloths looked like they just came out of the package. Big creases all over them. I'm going to get them an iron. Yup, I'm bitter.

We wanted to get up to Geoffrey's in Malibu but we decided to drive south to Laguna Beach instead. We ate at Las Brisas. Amazing view!! The food was good. Nothing extraordinary.

We ate at Jer-ne at the Marina Del Rey Ritz Carlton. I could not find any info online about it. It seems to have potential but a few kinks need to be worked out. One of the steak entrees was not prepared as ordered and we ended up eating our entrees 20 minutes apart. We had an interesting dessert of shaved ice with fresh strawberries.

Wasabi at Citywalk seemed like a convenient place to grab a bite after a long day at Universal Studios. Thats all it was, convenient. We should have taken the advice to go around the corner and eaten at Sushi Nozawa. By the way, we did the VIP experience at Universal. This was a little expensive but worth every penny. They take you all over and you don’t wait in any lines. The day we were there was very busy so this was great. We also got to go in the props warehouse, and walked around a few sets like the Bates Motel. Lots of fun!

If anyone is going to Las Vegas, don’t miss Bradley Ogden in Caesars. The food and service were both amazing. We got to meet Mr. Ogden and had a tour of his beautiful kitchen, complete with granite countertops.

I wish we had more time in LA because there were so many more restaurants that we wanted to try. Thanks for all the suggestions. Good luck with that whole governor thing.

We’ll be back.

[FoodZealot]

Sorry this took so long but after a great 10 day trip it took me a month to get some free time.

Everyone who recommended Sona, THANKS! This was a memorable meal. We had the six course tasting menu with wine pairing and it was outstanding. The service, presentation and food were all great.

[snip]

I wish we had more time in LA because there were so many more restaurants that we wanted to try.  Thanks for all the suggestions.  Good luck with that whole governor thing.

We’ll be back.

jgbanker, thanks for coming back and reporting. Glad you enjoyed most of your trip.

Do you recall what was served at Sona?

~Tad

edit: snipped too much

Edited September 9, 2003 by FoodZealot (log)

[jgbanker]

Do you recall what was served at Sona?

I remember that they were very generous with the wine. I'm trying to remember the rest of the meal. A tuna course, duck, rare beef, corn based soup. I'll work on it and let you know. I took notes... and lost them.